How often should a CT liver scan be repeated if it shows lesions?

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A CT liver scan should be repeated every three months if there are visible lesions that are not going to be operated on, or if there is an AFP elevated level without a lesion, according to the World Journal of Gastroenterology. For a more specific recommendation, patients should speak with their doctor because the need for repeated CT scans depends on the size of the lesion, the treatment chosen for the mass and the cause of the lesion.

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The CT scan is one of the best diagnostic tools for learning more about liver lesions because it is noninvasive and works through computer and X-ray technology, reports John Hopkins Medicine. These technologies together are able to take multiple pictures from different angles of the body. This provides the doctor with a 2D image and allows doctors to glean more information than they would from the standard X-ray.

The liver is located in the stomach region, underneath the diaphragm and is "the largest internal organ in the body," states John Hopkins Medicine. It has many necessary functions in the body, including making bile, creating energy from food, clearing out substances such as alcohol and other drugs and overseeing the blood clotting process. The liver is necessary for life, and a person whose liver has lesions needs to receive treatment as soon as possible.